How Democrat Policies Helped The ODU Terrorist Pull Off His Attack

The terrorist who opened fire in a Virginia classroom on Thursday had been released early from federal custody and later enrolled in classes at Old Dominion University, developments that may have been made possible by Democrat policies.

Mohamed Bailor Jalloh was initially sentenced in 2017 to 11 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release. He was released in December 2024 after completing a substance abuse program that could qualify inmates for reduced sentences under a provision of the 1994 crime bill signed by then-President Bill Clinton. A Trump administration policy change in 2025 later barred inmates convicted of terrorism-related crimes from qualifying for such early release.

Jalloh’s release came just eight years after he told investigators that he had considered a Fort Hood-style attack on American military personnel.

Less than two years after he was released, he walked into a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) classroom, shooting and killing a decorated service member and ROTC instructor, Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, before students subdued him.

Another law that may have cleared a path for Jalloh, signed in 2021 by then-Governor Ralph Northam (D-VA), bars colleges from asking prospective students about their criminal histories on applications — and may help explain how Jalloh, 36, was able to enroll in online classes at Old Dominion despite his 2016 guilty plea to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization (ISIS).

Former Attorney General Jason Miyares drew attention to the issue with an X post, referencing what he called a “social justice” law signed by Northam.

The Common Application, which many Virginia universities use, removed its criminal history question by 2019, and Northam later signed legislation in 2021 prohibiting public universities from asking applicants about criminal records.

The U.S. Department of Education, under former President Joe Biden, urged the rest of the nation to move in the same direction as recently as 2023. A report titled “Beyond the Box 2023” advised universities to stop asking prospective students to provide their criminal histories, stating that there was not enough evidence to prove that previous crimes were indicative of on-campus behavior.

“The use of criminal justice information is very different from the traditional information reviewed in a college application,” the report stated. “Properly trained admissions staff are key to ensuring that a criminal record does not unfairly bias the admission decision and that formerly incarcerated applicants are treated with dignity.”

Jalloh was released from federal custody in December 2024, re‑enrolled at ODU in summer 2025, and was taking online classes at the university at the time of the shooting. Authorities have not said whether he used a student ID to access the building where the shooting occurred.